The present invention relates to tire/wheel arrangements. More specifically, the invention relates to an aerodynamic wheel cover that reduces drag and lowers the operating temperature of the tire/wheel arrangement.
Typical tire/wheel arrangements for heavy duty roadway vehicles, such as tractors, trailers, and trucks have to contend with situations relating to the optimal performance of the vehicle. A nut and bolt assembly, which typically extends from the wheel rim, may cause drag and effect the optimal performance of the vehicle, such as for example, fuel consumption. Even further, during the traveling or braking of the vehicle, the tire/wheel arrangement may have a high operating temperature. The high operating temperature may have an undesirable effect on vehicle performance or pressure losses in the tire. Even further, in certain trucking applications, such as in the hauling of hazardous materials, the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires certain safety standards on the monitoring of tire pressure. The DOT requires that trucks are to stop every two hours or every 100 miles in order to check the air pressure on every tire. Because such trucks are frequently stopped so that the tires may be checked for pressure losses, a vehicle operator may have to periodically pressurize the tires.
Thus, there is a need for a new tire/wheel arrangement that permits and maintains an optimal performance of the vehicle by reducing drag and lowering the operating temperature of the tire/wheel arrangement.
In a first embodiment of the invention, a tire/wheel arrangement including a tire, a valve stem, a wheel rim, and a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies is described. The tire/wheel arrangement comprises a wheel cover, a bridge section, and a pressure sensor arrangement. The wheel cover reduces the drag and operating temperatures of the tire/wheel arrangement. The wheel cover includes an exhaust port. The bridge section is located over the exhaust port. The pressure sensor arrangement is disposed on the bridge section.
A second embodiment of the invention is a tire/wheel arrangement including a tire, a valve stem, a wheel rim, and a plurality of nut and bolt assemblies. In this embodiment, the tire/wheel arrangement also comprises a plurality of reflectors. The wheel cover is fastened to the wheel rim by a fastener. The wheel rim is defined by a diameter, a depth, and an elliptically-shaped dome that reduces drag and creates a low pressure by a Bernoulli effect that causes warm air generated by the vehicle in the area of the tire/wheel arrangement to be evacuated from the wheel cover through an exhaust port diameter. The bridge section is located over the exhaust port diameter. The pressure sensor arrangement is disposed on the bridge section. The pressure sensor arrangement includes a gauge and a valve arrangement. The valve arrangement includes an intake valve and a valve and hose arrangement connected to the valve stem
Various additional aspects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.